ISSUES URGENT APPEAL TO WORLD YOUTH TO TAKE ACTION IN SUPPORT OF LIVE 8

New York, NY– JUNE 29, 2005 — Today on the eve of both one of the most important meetings of the Group of 8 world leaders in Scotland scheduled for July 5-8, 2005, and the largest ever internationally-linked group of concerts, Live 8, to be held in Philadelphia, London, Rome, Paris, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Toronto and Berlin, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) issued an urgent call to action for youth across America and throughout the world “to immediately stand up, speak out, and log on to www.one.org and let the G8 world leaders know your support for debt relief and the containment of poverty and disease in Africa.”

Russell Simmons, HSAN Chairman, emphasized, “Millions of people every year die from something that is preventable and containable. AIDS and poverty can be contained in our lifetime with a small effort from those in power. You have the power. The power of your voice. I urge each and every one of you to log on to www.one.org and let your voice be heard.”

“The impact of millions of youth throughout the world letting their voices be heard in unison in support of Live 8 will help to save millions of lives in Africa,” declared Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, President and CEO of HSAN.

"This is not about charity, it’s about long overdue justice for Africa. This is justice for the whole of humanity. The global solidarity of youth united in this action is a hip-hop blessing from God," concluded Dr. Chavis.
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